Nowadays, we are constantly reminded of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights as we hear, see and are touched by the many refugees who are seeking a new home in another country in order to be able to live where the declaration is respected.

In Hong Kong, when you step into a public hospital you have the right to receive medical attention that “fully meets the currently accepted standards of care and quality.”

The Patients’ Charter also spells out such rights as having “your privacy, dignity and religious and cultural beliefs respected” provided the observance does not hurt the rights of other patients or healthcare providers.

People brought little children to see Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16)

A group of 56 people, representing a full range of ages, walked for 12 days in the middle of July from Chengdu to Chongqing, in the Sichuan area of southwestern China, covering a total distance of 360 kilometres.

People have been travelling to China for more years than we may know, but we do know that a lot of missionary priests and sisters have been crossing by land and sea from Europe to China for hundreds of years, the earliest recorded journey would be around 1293, undertaken by Franciscan Father John Montecorvino (1246-1328), who was called the founder of the Catholic mission in China.

This is the oft-quoted saying of Mao Zedong, but I like to point out that the sky is vast and we are still learning about its dimensions, whereas we know the dimensions of our planet Earth, and women stand firmly on its soil.

I would like to add to Mao’s quote by saying holding up half the sky may not be possible for anyone, but we know that women can hold down their place on earth.

Christmas is a good time to reflect upon our relationship with God and with others. Christians, like others, long for the absence of conflict and long to prepare for the coming of the peace of Christ.

The year 2011 in the Church in China has been a difficult one, complicated by two illicit ordinations of bishops, one in Leshan, Sichuan province, on June 29; and the other in Shantou, Guangdong province, on July 14.